A statewide survey released this week by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), found that 64% of the state’s voters oppose raising the state sales tax – a major element of California Jerry Brown’s proposed fix for our state budget deficit. Majorities across parties are against this idea, although Democrats (54%) are less likely to oppose it than independents (71%) or Republicans (74%). The poll also found that 35% adults, (41% likely voters) prefer closing our budget deficit mainly through spending cuts.

The news wasn’t good for our federal government either – only 35 percent of those surveyed think President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress will be able to work together and accomplish a lot in the next year and 62 percent do not. And just a quarter of Californians (25%) approve of the U.S. Congress, whose job approval rating sank to a record-low 20 percent in December 2011. Likely voters are even less likely (14%) to approve of Congress.

Brown’s tax increase ballot measure is so unnecessary. If we were to legalize gambling, reform our drug laws, reform Three Strikes and dump the useless death penalty, as I advocated in an earlier post, we could fix our budget problems virtually overnight. Reversing the ban on gay marriage would also see an economic boon due to the plethora of gay marriages that would surely result in hotel bookings, cake orders, etc.

But Brown is beholden to our unions and the prison guard’s union won’t allow him to do anything that might put less people in jail. So instead he is going to try to scare the voters with threats to cut school budgets. Shame on him!